Albert Pesso – Psychomotor Therapy

With his wife Diane Boyden Pesso, Albert Pesso (1929 – 2016) created Pesso Boyden System Psychomotor, a widely respected interactive technique that helps clients create new memories to compensate for emotional deficits in the past. He has been called one of the three living masters of body-based psychotherapy and was chosen in 2012 to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award by the U.S. Assoc. for Body Psychotherapy.

Al began his career as a dancer & choreographer, studying under Martha Graham and May O’Donnell. He & Diane established a dance center in Quincy, MA & within five years developed the foundational theory of PBSP. Encouraging dancers to allow their bodies to act out their inner feelings, they observed that the resulting emotional outpouring was cathartic, but did not help the individual heal their emotional scars. They went on to develop an interactive model that drew on spatial relationships, specific wording, and physical touch to provide a response from the outer world to each of the inner needs expressed. This facilitated the creation of new body-based memories to counteract memories of past emotional deficits. Al was a tenured assoc. professor & dir. of Emerson College’s dance dept. while he & Diane developed, practiced, & began teaching their new form of body-based psychotherapy.

Al served as dir. of Psychomotor Therapy at McLean Hospital & the Pain Unit of the N.E. Rehabilitation Hospital; adjunct prof. at Fielding Inst.; & consultant in psychiatric research at the Boston VA Hospital. He also taught PBSP at Harvard’s continuing education program & at other educational & medical institutions abroad. He has written & contributed to many books & more than 50 articles, & led hundreds of seminars around the world.

Al was a featured speaker at many psychology conferences, such as: the American Academy of Psychotherapists; the Assoc. of Humanistic Psychology; the National Inst. for Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine; the Berlin Psychoanalytic Inst.; the European Congress on Body Psychotherapy; & the American Assoc. of Marriage & Family Therapy. He also presented at medical schools & hospitals, including Grand Rounds at BU’s Medical School.

Considered a uniquely gifted ‘therapists’ therapist’ Al helped thousands of clients to achieve lives of greater happiness, satisfaction, & meaning. He established PBSP training centers around the world which have certified hundreds of PBSP therapists & trained an excellent cadre of PBSP trainers & supervisors who carry on the work to the highest standards.